Rotary valve for steam-engines.



, No. 862,627. l EATENTED AUG. s, 1907.

w. A. ELowEEs. EQTAEY VALVE EOE STEAM ENGINES.

APPLIGATION FILED DBO. 22, 1906.

WILLIAM A. FLOWERS, OF ABERDEEN, WASHINGTON.

ROTARY VALVE FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 6, 1907'.

Application led December 22, 1906. Serial No. 349,048.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. FLOWERS, a citizen oi the United States, and a resident oi Aberdeen, in the county oi Chehalis and State oi Washington, have invented a new and Improved Rotary Valve for Steam- Engines, of which the following is a iull, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in steam engines, and more particularly to the means employed for controlling the admission and exhaust oi the steam Vfrom the piston cylinder.

The object oi the invention is to provide a single rotary valve operated from the crank shalt and adapted to be oscillated by a cam or eccentric located thereon.

My invention also relates to certain improved means whereby the engine maybe more easily reversed and controlled.

Beier-ence is to be had to the accompanying drawings iorming a part oi' this speciiication, in which similar characters oi reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, in which Figure I is a longitudinal section of a portion O the engine cylinder and reversing valve; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 22 oi Fig. l; Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 3-3 of Fig. l; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view oi the cylinder valve.

In the speciiic embodiment of my invention which I have illustrated in the drawings, I employ a piston cylinder l0 having cylinder heads ll, a piston l2, and piston rod I3, as in all common forms oi reciprocating steam engines. The piston l2 is secured to a connecting rod 14, and the latter is connected to the crank shaft l5 by means oi a crank 16. The crank shaft carries the balance wheel I7 and a cam I8, the latter being adapted to engage with a valve rod I9 for operating the main steam valve.

The engine cylinder l0 is provided with a cylindrical valve casing 20 extending across the main cylinder and having its axis at rig-ht angles to the axis of said main cylinder. The valve casing communicates with the piston cylinder by means of four passages 2l, 22, 23 and 24, two ol these, 2l and 22, extending to one end of the piston cylinder, while the other two, 23 and 24, extend to the opposite end. The passages 2l and 23 extending in opposite directions are preferably in alinement, while the passages 22 and 24 are also in alinement and extend parallel to the passages 2l and 23. The valve casing 20 is provided with two ports leading to the outside, and these two ports are in alinement with the two pairs of passages, and two pipes 25 and 2G lead to these ports and serve as the inlet and exhaust pipes for the steam.

Within the valve casing 20 is a cylindrical valve plug 27 having passages therein for controlling the How of steam to and from the piston cylinder'. One of these passages 2S extends through thel valve plug in t communicate at said center.

the same plane as the passages 2l and 23 and the pipe 25, while the other passage 29 lies in the same plane as the passages 22 and 24 and the pipe 26. Each oi these passages is composed oi three branches, each extending from the circumference oi the valve plug to the center thereof, and all the branches oi each passage One of the branches is oi substantially twice the size of either oi the other branches and is designed to communicate with the p ort in the outer wall ol" the valve casing, while the other two branches are designed to communicate alternately with two of the passages leading to the ends of the piston cylinder. The branches oi the passage 2S are similar to the branches oi the passage 29, the diierence being in the distances between the two smaller branches oi the respective passages, the difference boing such that while the larger branch of each passage is at all times in communication with its port in the outer wall of the valve casing, the smaller branch oi one passage leads to one end of the cylinder at the time that the smaller branch oi the other passage leads to the opposite end of the cylinder. One ofthe pipes, as, for instance, pipe 25, may lead directly to the throttle valve, while the other pipe, as, or instance, 26, may lead directly to the condenser, but, preferably, I connect both pipes to a reversing valve 30, whereby the engine may be readily reversed. This reversing valve comprises a valve casing 3l and a valve plug 32 with passages whereby the main steam supply pipe 33 and the main steam exhaust 34 may each be made to communicate with either of the pipes 25 or 26. The structure of this reversing valve is substantially the same as that illustrated and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 309,088, filed March 3l, 1906.

In the operation of my improved steam engine, the reversing valve is set in the desired position by means of a lever 35, and as this valve may also serve as the throttle valve, the steam will be admitted through one oi the pipes leading to the engine, as, for instance, the pipe 25. With the valve plug 27 in the position shown in Fig. 2, the steam escapes through the passages 2S and 23 into one end oi the cylinder, while by reason oi' the differences in the angle ol the passages 2S and 29, the latter will serve to permit the escape oi steam from the opposite end oi the cylinder through the passage 22 and the pipe 26. As the piston is forced to the opposite end of the cylinder, the crank shaft and cam 1S are Caused to rotate and the valve plug 27 is oscillated a short distance. Due to the larger size oi one branch of each of the passages 28 and 29, said passages still communicate with the pipes 25 and 26, but the smaller branches of each passage are caused to communicate with the opposite end oi the cylinder, whereby the supply oi steam is shut ofi from one end oi the cylinder and delivered to the opposite end, the corresponding exhaust port being simultaneously operated. By va` rying the sizes and location oi the branches oi the passages, the supply of steam to the cylinder may be cut oii at any point in the stroke that it is desired, and the exhaust may be permitted throughout the entire stroke or through only the desired portion thereof. By means of the reversing valve the supply of steam may be delivered through either the pipe 25 or the pipe 2G, and the direction o the engine thus controlled at will. As the passages in the reversing valve only communicate at two given positions oi said valve and are entirely closed when said valve is in any other position, it is evident that only a single valve need be provided and this valve serve both as the throttle valve and as the reversing valve.

As the engine valve is of cylindrical orm and rotates within the cylindrical casing the friction is much le'ss than with the ordinary style valve, as it is sul jected to practically no steam pressure. weight of the valve is very materially reduced, and less power is therefore required to run the engine.

Various changes may be made in the speciiie construction oi my invention, as the device illustrated constitutes merely one embodiment thereof.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. An engine, comprising a working cylinder, a valve chamber adjacent thereto and having a plurality of ports in its wall, said working cylinder being provided with conduits connecting certain of said ports with the opposite ends ot" said working cylinder, and a valve plug within said valve cylinder and provided with a plurality of radial' passages, one ot' said passages adapted to serve as an inlet port and another as an exhaust port, and each of said passages having a plurality of branches, one of said The cost and l branches communicating at all times with a port in the wall of the valve cylinder and the other branches adapted to be placed alternately in communication with the conduits leadingr to the opposite ends of the Working cylinder.

2. An engine, comprising a working cylinder and a cylindrical valve chamber adjacent thereto, conduits connecting said valve chamber with each of the two opposite ends of the working cylinder and adapted to serve as inlet passages, conduits connecting said valve chamber to the opposite ends of said working cylinder and adapted to serve as exhaust passages, and a rotary valve plug in said valve chamber having a radial passage adapted to be placed alternately in communication with each of said inlet conduits and a passage adapted to be placed alternately in communication with the exhaust passages, one of said passages of the plug being in communication with the source of supply at all times and the other of said passages being in communication with the exhaust at all times.

Il. A steam engine, comprising a piston cylinder, a valve cylinder integral therewith and having a plurality of ports in its outer wall, the wall of said piston cylinder being provided with parallel longitudinal passages connecting the valve cylinder with the ends of the piston cylinder, and a cylindrical valve plugl within said valve cylinder and provided with a plurality of radial passages, one oi said passages adapted to serve as an inlet port and another as an exhaust port, and each of said passages having a plurality of branches, one of said branches communicating at all times with a port in the wall of the valve cylinder and the other two branches adapted to be placed alternately in communication with the longitudinal passages of the piston cylinder.

In testimony whereot- I have signed my name to this speciiication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM A. FLOWERS.

Witnesses R. M. ABEL, UA'r'rm Ginsv. 

